In this classic hard science fiction-thriller by the New York Times–bestselling author of Startide Rising, a man-made black hole threatens the future of Earth. Scientist Alex Lustig has created a tiny, yet very destructive, problem—a microscopic black hole that he accidentally dropped into Earth's core. Now, racing to keep it from consuming the planet, he begins to suspect something even stranger is going on. Something linked to civilization's expanding information web. And with the planet overpopulated and neglect taking its toll on the environment, there are those who demand a harsh solution: that Mother Earth would be better off without humanity at all . . . A Finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Novel "The Moby-Dick of the whole Earth movement." — Locus "A powerful, cautionary tale." — San Francisco Chronicle "Brin has conceived his story on a supremely ambitious scale, and executed it with all of the skills at his command." — Chicago Sun-Times "It is indeed a book that anyone interested in the survival of our terrifying species should read." —Interzone